Weather alert ahead of Storm Brian
Forecasters elected to name Storm Brian this afternoon due to a potential risk of orange level winds developing in coastal regions of a number of counties in the west and southwest Friday night and Saturday.
We can expect west to southwest winds in southern parts becoming northwest generally countrywide, which will reach mean speeds up to 65 km/h with gusts up to 110 km/h at times.
“A rapidly deepening depression in the mid-Atlantic (Storm Brian) is expected to fill as it tracks over parts of Ireland overnight Friday and early on Saturday. In general, the winds in most parts of the country will not be as severe as on Monday,” Met Éireann said this afternoon.
Yellow wind warnings are in effect countrywide, with orange level warnings for coastal areas of the south and west. See warnings for further details. Various parts of the country will experience strong winds at different times during this period, with northern counties probably not encountering peak winds until Saturday afternoon.
The yellow warning for the country is in place from 10pm on Friday until 10pm on Saturday. Between 6am and 6pm on Saturday a status orange wind warning will be in place for Galway and Mayo, while from midnight on Friday to midday on Saturday a status orange wind warning will be in place for Wexford, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Waterford.
The Road Safety Authority has called on road users to exercise caution on the roads on Friday night and for much of Saturday.
The RSA is asking road users to check national and local weather updates over the weekend and to also check local road and traffic conditions before making a trip.
The RSA has the following advice for road users when travelling in strong winds:
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Beware of objects being blown out onto the road. Expect the unexpected. Watch out for falling/fallen debris on the road and vehicles veering across the road. Control of a vehicle may be affected by strong cross winds. High sided vehicles, motorcyclists and cyclists are particularly vulnerable to strong winds